University of New Orleans president John Nicklow said there's a growing and "real momentum" underway at UNO Tuesday (Sept. 11), as the university announced that its total enrollment has increased for the first time since 2009.

A UNO news release Monday stated the campus saw an increase of 2.4 percent in its undergraduate and graduate student populations, from 7,964 last year to 8,151 in 2018. UNO's undergraduate population increased by 1.8 percent, with more than 1,000 freshman students enrolled for the first time in seven years. UNO also experienced a 4.8 percent increase graduate student enrollment this year.

UNO stated this has been its largest year-to-year percentage increase in undergraduate students since 2006. In a statement, Nicklow proudly credited the school's growth to the "hard work from our staff and faculty." He stressed the enrollment gains show UNO is doing a "better job" of supporting students on campus, equipping them with the tools needed to earn their degrees.

Nicklow also called the retention efforts from UNO's faculty and staff "very meaningful." UNO stated its first-year retention rate, which is the percentage of students who remained enrolled from freshman to sophomore year, increased from 62.4 percent to 71.2 percent.

"They demonstrate that there is a growing awareness of the fantastic opportunities that exist at the University of New Orleans," Nicklow stated. "They also show that we are not sacrificing quality for quantity with our new students."

The latest data from UNO also shows the university is becoming more diverse. UNO's African-American student population has experienced a 12 percent year-over-year increase, giving it the largest enrollment of African-American students in six years. UNO is also experiencing its largest enrollment of Hispanic students in more than a decade with an 8 percent year-over-year increase.

"I always tell students that some of the most important lessons I've learned in life come from people different from me, whether that means race, gender, where they're from, or the discipline that they work in," Nicklow said.

The university also released the following highlights of the fall enrollment figures:

Enrollment of Louisiana students increased by 2.1 percent and out-of-state domestic students jumped 8 percent.

UNO's 2018 freshman class has the highest average ACT score (23) of the past four years and the highest high school GPA (3.3) in the past decade.

UNO increased its number of freshmen by 6.2 percent compared to the fall 2017 class.

Nicklow was selected as UNO's president in March 2016 when the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors chose him 10-6, just one vote more than the nine he needed, over former Deputy New Orleans Mayor Andy Kopplin. Nicklow said several initiatives and strategies have played a part in the school's enrollment and retention turnout.

UNO has created a brand new professional advisement model and implemented a "predictive analytic tool" to better identify and support at-risk students, Nicklow said. He also drew attention to UNO's 24/7 online tutoring for all students, its 24/5 hours of library access, and its use of a student coaching model for underserved populations. He said UNO had more than 2.4 million "touchpoints," or interactions, last year with students.

"What we've done here is built a framework so that students can't fall through the cracks," Nicklow said.

Nicklow has previously said that he wants 12,000 students at UNO in five years. His self-described "lofty goal" came amid fiscal pressures as Nicklow faced the task of reversing enrollment declines at UNO. More than 17,000 students were enrolled at UNO before Katrina, and it maintained a student body above 10,000 through 2009. However, its numbers dropped below 8,500 in the 2015 fall semester.

On Tuesday, Nicklow stressed he still envisions UNO as a 12,000-student university that serves its community and offers a strong research portfolio. "We're going to continue to work towards it and make it there whether it's three years or five years from now or seven years," Nicklow said.

Nicklow has also emphasized the university's impact on the region: 42,000 alumni and $470 million have been put into the economy, according to a 2016 economic impact study that used data from the 2014-15 academic year. Nicklow is certain those numbers have increased since then.

Nicklow pointed to a 2017 third-party study commissioned by UNO that found its Research & Technology Park alone generated a $472.1 million economic impact on the metro area in 2016.

"The true economic impact of this institution and its affiliates is a billion dollars a year and through the university about 11,000 jobs," Nicklow said.